Woman used cheques for frauds

Press, 19 February 1988, Page 5

Woman used cheques for frauds

The ease with which Diane Iris Palermo was able to open bank accounts, to assist her in committing offences, continually amazed him, said Judge Frampton in the District Court yesterday. The defendant, aged 25, who is pregnant and serving a prison sentence of four months imposed last month for a fraud offence, received concurrent sentences of nine months imprisonment for seven offences.

These included using cheques to obtain a pecuniary advantage, unlawfully receiving a stolen cheque for $5723, and attempting to obtain credit by fraud. Palermo, who was charged with some of the offences under the surname Gibbs, her de facto partner’s name, pleaded guilty to the offences yesterday. The offences occurred during November and December.

Sergeant W. P. Creasey, who prosecuted, said Palermo and her de facto husband opened an account at a branch of the Bank of New Zealand, with a deposit of $5.

An auto access card was issued.

Form withdrawals were subsequently made at various branches; a sum of $420 reparation was sought for these. The charge of receiving the cheque for $5733.49 arose from Palermo’s being given the cheque by another person who was not known.

The cheque had been made out by a construction company in another person’s name. Palermo then went to a bank branch, opened a savings account in that

name and received deposit and withdrawal forms. She tried to cash the cheque, but the teller refused this. The word “Limited” after the name of the intended recipient had been partially erased from the cheque. . When later spoken to by the police, Palermo said she had been given the cheque by a person, but refused to give his name. The Judge said he was continually surprised at the ease with which Palermo could open bank accounts. He asked whether banks made checks of people who called to open accounts.

Sergeant Creasey replied that they apparently did not. After submissions made by counsel, Mr J. S. Halls, the Judge said, when imposing sentence, that Palermo had appeared in Court regularly during the last nine years. Her offending in more recent years was similar to the present charges she faced. Various sentences had been imposed, but none had proved a deterrent to her.

The community deserved a rest from Palermo’s offending, which had continued notwithstanding the domestic responsibilities she had.

The nine-months prison sentence will run concurrently with the sentence of four months imprisonment imposed last month. At her appearance last month Palermo was said to have three children, and was again pregnant. She was described by the Judge as a habitual criminal.